Bram van Leeuwen
writer
〰️
illustrator
〰️
creative director
〰️
brand strategist
〰️
writer 〰️ illustrator 〰️ creative director 〰️ brand strategist 〰️
What’s up Bram? Can you explain what you do?
I’m excellent, Friso, thanks. Well, I always tend to do a variety of things. Drawing, painting, short films, storyboards. But mostly it’s writing. I help people put their visions into words, and translate them into tangible tools they can build meaningful organizations with. I only work with brands and organizations that do something positive for the world, so with low ecological impact, sustainable or at least highly transparent about their operations and their impact. I believe responsible companies can make a positive change through intelligent innovation, which is what the world needs now.
What’s your favourite object in your place?
I love all my things! They symbolize treasured memories. Most of them are gifts, too. I’m very proud of my bronze candle holders which I got from my grandparents. I guess they were stolen from a church in England. But I love my porcelain monkey candle holder too. It’s a fifties classic, quite kitschy, which is what I love about ‘m.
What has been your greatest inspiration this week?
Probably watching the elephants from the rear side of the zoo, where I paddle my kayak along every morning. They have a little one, who truly warms my heart every time I see him. He’s about four or five now. Elephants are my favourite animals. They’re majestic, wise creatures.
Enjoy the process and don’t worry about the outcome
Do you have any advice for my creative readers?
Enjoy the process and don’t worry about the outcome. Anything you can create is a gift by itself. Don’t hurry either. Some of my drawings and paintings take years to finish. I keep them in an antique travelling trunk my family used when they moved back from Indonesia. I take them out whenever I feel they need some attention. I literally have hundreds of works in progress, and that’s perfectly fine with me.
What’s your question for my next subject?
Difficult without knowing who you’ll be visiting next… But here it goes. How would you draw a baby elephant? And what’s its name?
